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Club Remedies
Is rebuilding a club best done with outside help? Colin Williams had a problem: * Entering this year with 15 members, we've lost three who are students and graduated or transferred; another two are continuing members, but have run into scheduling difficulties for fall related to work/education. Another one is in the red cross and is heavily immersed in Katrina-related stuff, and another two will have to miss updoming meetings for work-related stuff. * This has all come about pretty suddenly; however, I'm suggesting to the president that he request a club coach for membership building. I have actually served as a club coach before for another club; however, my general feel was that I shouldn't do this one, because I think part of my success at the other club was being able to view the club objectively as an outsider/newcomer. * Thoughts on this? Is rebuilding a club in trouble best done with outside help? It's taken too long to recognise the problem Contributed by --Erichv 08:47, 26 Sep 2005 (UTC) * If you entered the year with 15 members, you had a problem already. This often happens -- that many members drop out for legitimate reasons. * You need to have a growth plan in place -- five to ten new members a year. * It's time to face the reality. You're a club in need of rescue. It's best to consider yourselves a brand new club and take it from there. What would you do differently to get and keep members if you had NO members at all? * Encourage visitors from other clubs so that the meetins are always full; be very aggressive in recruiting. You need 25 to 35 on your books to have a club that is out of danger. * Your knowledge / skills may be helpful to the current VPM -- but the job is too large for one person now. Get a team together. * Take the questionnaire in the section under Leading and don't rest until you're getting 40 or 45 out of 50. That should fix it. * Get an outsider to run the "Moments of Truth" programme (see the TMI website for more details at http://www.toastmasters.org) This helps the club and helps somebody towards their leadership goals. (says Iona Rodricks, Meadowvale Toastmasters) * I have seen too many clubs that have waited until the club collapses before bringing in help. When a club has decided it has tried all of the possibilities, I've seen 5-10 members leave. When there are twelve members a club coach can be of a lot more help than when there are two members. (says Rick Clements, ATM-G, CL, Daylighters Toastmasters) Yes and No Iona Rodricks Meadowvale Toastmasters says: * Prior to bringing in a club coach can you get your executive collectively to conduct the "Moments of Truth" educational Module. This would pin point the Strengths and Weaknesses of your club. Dwindling membership would crop up and at that point suggestions from your current membership would help. It would also help one of the execs. towards their Competent Leader Award. * Having being a club coach myself, I feel a club needs to evaluate and work out all avenues internally prior to bringing an external person to sort out issues. * You've demonstrated success at being a club coach, why don't you take on the leadership opportunity to build your club to the required strength. Rod Taylor DTM writes: * The knowledge and talents probably already exist within the club. Whether these can most effectively be harnessed by an insider or by an outsider to produce the desired result is a matter for the Club to decide. * Possibly it's a club management issue, but my instinct is that if the committee and members knew what to do and were doing it, you wouldn't have the problem. * All the answers are in the manuals and I've noticed over the years that whichever club you ask that's experiencing difficulties, there are always special circumstances which prevent any of the conventional solutions from working. * One of the advantages of a good outsider is not just the fresh perspective, but also enthusiasm, drive, energy, and the lack of willingness to accept excuses rather than discuss and deal with problems. On the downside, there might possibly be resistance from the insiders. compiled by -- Erichv 09:02, 26 Sep 2005 (UTC) Category: Stub